Town Hall Meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 17th at Providence Art Club

In honor of Edward Mitchell Bannister, painter, abolitionist and philanthropist, a Town Hall meeting was held on November 17, 2021 at the Providence Art Club to help bring awareness of an exciting community art project that is currently underway. A committee has been formed to assist in the realization and installation of a public art sculpture in honor of Mr. Bannister. The goal of the meeting was to create a broader platform for community engagement to promote Bannister’s historic role through education programming, a call for public art and discussion for a Bannister scholarship.

Famously, he was the first known Black artist to win a prize in the U.S.—for his pastoral landscape Under the Oaks at the Centennial International Exhibition; America’s first World’s Fair, which was held in Philadelphia in 1876. Edward Bannister was a dynamic force, founder of the Providence Art Club and helped to transform Providence into a cultural powerhouse. Edward Mitchell and Christiana Carteaux Bannister created extraordinary institutions of art and culture that endure to this day. Now, an ambitious campaign has begun to create a stunning life-size sculpture of the renowned Edward Mitchell Bannister. Future Town Hall meetings will be announced. If you would like to be notified of the next meeting, please contact Nancy Gaucher-Thomas at ngaucherthomas@cox.net.